


Such a Beautiful Night

by roomapple



Category: Gravity Falls, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Pre-Series, Random Encounters, Smoking, Young Greg, Young Stan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2015-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 05:32:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4613073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roomapple/pseuds/roomapple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unlikely encounter between two men makes both of their lives a little brighter for a short moment. Set way before the starts of both series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Such a Beautiful Night

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by some fan art on tumblr of young Greg and Stan sitting on a bench together. Unfortunately I can't remember who the artist was, so let me know if you know it.

_August, 1970's_

 

It was a warm and clear night. Stan was sitting on the bench outside the 50’s themed diner where he always used to go before. He went back there sometimes, when the loneliness of his newly single life became too overwhelming. Although it did never help much, the crowd made it easier to pretend everything was okay. He lights a cigarette, closes his eyes and inhales deeply.

When he opens his eyes, there is a man standing in front of him with a guitar over his shoulder. ‘Hey, can I sit here?’ he asks, with a nervous smile. The man has wild, long brown hair and is wearing a black tank top with a star on it. Stan remembers him:  it is the guy who played a small concert in the diner earlier that night.  He can’t remember his name though; he had not exactly been paying much attention to the one-man band. He doesn’t answer, but simply looks away and scoots over a little bit. The man sits down and starts fiddling with his guitar. Stan takes a drag from his cig again.

 Suddenly, the guy starts to play some chords on his guitar. He looks at Stan, then looks at the sky and starts to sing:

 

_Isn't this such a beautiful night,_

_Whoa, we're underneath a thousand shining stars._

_Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different, whoa,_

_Why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are._

 

 Stan side eyes him. The man is looking at him again. Stan wonders if he should say something. ‘You didn’t play that song in your concert,’ he finally says.  

The man sitting next to him smiles:  ‘That’s because I just wrote it.’

Stan frowns:  ‘You just...?’

The other man smoothes his hair with his hand: ‘I guess I felt inspired by this moment.’

 Stan looks at him with an eyebrow raised: ‘You’re not serious, are you?’ He is silent for a moment. ‘It was a nice song.’

The man smiles happily at him: ‘Thank you!’ he says, ‘My name’s Greg Universe, by the way.’

‘...What kind of a name is that?’ Stan scoffs.  Greg keeps smiling and points at himself with his thumb. ‘It’s MY name’ he says, ‘I choose it for myself.’

Stan takes a long last drag from his cigarette. ‘Sick of your old one then?’ he asks.

 Greg plays an absentminded chord on his guitar. ‘I have a bit of a ...complicated relationship with my parents. This name fits me better than anything they gave me,’ he says finally.

‘A complicated relationship with the folks, huh?’ Stan crushes the butt of his cig under the heel of his shoe, ‘Copy that. Toads are nothing but trouble, if you ask me.’

Greg plays another chord on his guitar. ‘Can I ask your name then?’ he asks after a while.

 Stan laughs without joy. ‘Which one do you want’ he says, ‘I’ve had a lotta names, way too many to count.’

Greg smiles widely and plays another three chords. He starts singing again:

 

_The man with a thousand names is sitting under a thousand stars._

_The night is clear and he is  a part, making his own starlight from his mouth._

_It’s Mister Mystery; he has so many names, though of them I know none._

_Oh, Mister Mystery; not even he knows them all, but I only have to know one._

 

Stan is laughing out loud at the end of the song. ‘Did you write that song about me?’

 Greg puts his guitar next to the bench, and laughs too. ‘What can I say, some people just have that effect on me,’ he says. He looks at Stan from behind his hair.

‘Heh, I must say I’m flattered,’ Stan grins, ‘Do you make this much effort for all the girls?’

 Greg smiles too, ‘Only the special ones,’ he replies cheerfully.

‘Ah, you’re just saying that to make me feel good,’ Stan leans on the back of the bench.

Greg rubs his own upper arm.  ‘I’m not actually. To be honest, I already noticed you in the crowd at the concert earlier.’

Stan stops laughing, ‘You’re kidding.’ he says. He looks at Greg, sitting upwards again.

 ‘You were sitting at the bar and I knew I had to try and talk to you.’ Greg smiles nervously.

 Stan starts laughs again, bitterly. ‘Well, you’re mistaken,’ he says. ‘I’m no Mister Mystery, I’m nothing special, just some loser on a bench.’

 Greg smiles. ‘I honestly don’t know how you can say something like that, after I just had the most interesting conversation of this week with you.’

Stan raises one eyebrow. ‘The week?’ he repeats.

 Greg hooks his hands behind his head and smiles a little smugly: ‘Well, I AM a rock star, travelling around the world. Being the top of my week is pretty damn impressive, if you ask me.’

Stan laughs again and puts his hand on Greg’s shoulder, ‘You’re alright’ he chuckles. Suddenly his expression turns serious. ‘You ARE hitting on me, right?’

 Greg smiles boldly, ‘Of course I am.’

 ‘Good.’ Stan says and cups Greg’s face with his other hand. They look at each other for a second and then they’re kissing.

 

Stan has no idea how much time has passed, when suddenly there is honking and a voice yells ‘GREG, CUT IT OFF, WE GOT TO GO!’

 The two men quickly let go off each other. ‘I’m coming, Marty!’ Greg yells back. He stands up from the bench. ‘I have to go,’ he smiles sadly. He takes Stan’s hand. ‘Maybe the stars will bring us together again in the future.’

 Stan doesn’t answer.

‘I’ll see you around, Mister Mystery.’ Greg starts walking away.

‘Wait!’ Stan yells out.

Greg turns around, looking expectant.

‘It’s, uh, my name, it’s Stanley.’

 Greg beams widely.

‘I’ll see you around then, Stanley,’ he says before stepping into his van and disappearing into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> ........look i'm no song writer.


End file.
